Reduced attention spans, greater technology-aided mobility and a constant bombardment of information. These 3 factors are pushing marketers to embrace microcontent as a way to engage their audience.

As Gary Vaynerchuk once said, “Storytelling is changing, and unless brands know how to tell theirs in a quick, witty and purposeful way that is native to these new platforms, they will be left behind.”

It’s time for you to embrace the changes and leverage the persuasive power of microcontent.

What is Microcontent?

Microcontent is short content, like headlines, which need to be immediately clear and inviting to a reader, and which still make sense when removed from their original context. Microcontent is bite-size content, optimized for distribution on various channels particularly social media. It is compelling to spark your curiosity, crisp to hold your attention, eloquent to make sense, and appealing to make you want more.

Consider how Snapple placed fun facts on their bottle caps. Consider fun riddles on popsicle sticks – eat it up to reveal the answer. Consider a meme. Consider how quickly you scroll down your Twitter news feed skimming through the information pouring in. Consider how videos are now just 6 seconds long! That’s microcontent for you.

With shorter attention spans, and a flood of information competing for eyeballs, you need to be savvy about making microcontent work. Now – more than ever.

Key Ingredients

Standalone

Without reading the full content article, your micro-content should be able to carry the full meaning across. A good one is able to tell your readers what to expect.

Compelling

If your micro-content is not persuasive enough, you can’t expect your target readers to click it. In fact, they might not even stop their browsing and spend even few seconds to read or view your post in full.

Crisp & Concise

Keep it short and concise. But don’t forgo the important stuff, neither should it skew far from the true meaning of your content. All the important information has to be packed into few words or images.

How to Go Micro?

Summarize your 1,000-word article into 140 characters – or less

If it’s going to take your audience more than 10 seconds to read your content on the social platform, you stand a high chance to loose them. You should provide a concise overview of what you want to deliver in less than 140 characters. We have the numbers to prove.

Use 6-second Vine clips

Short video clip is another interesting micro-content that attracts. Feature your brand or promote your campaign with the 6-second Vine clip. It can be standalone or in series to extract greater value from existing content.

Based on data from Brands on Vine, Vine videos are four times more likely to be seen than branded videos outside the platform.